Beat your sugar addiction

Each day, Australians consume on average more than 20 teaspoons of sugar, says the Australian Diabetes Council. Not only does it make us fat, it's rotting our teeth, contributing to the type 2 diabetes epidemic, is highly addictive and can even contribute to cancer.

The World Cancer Research Fund says that when it comes to preventing cancer, being as lean as possible without being underweight is at the top of the list. At number three, even ahead of eating more vegetables, is advice to limit consumption of energy-dense foods – foods high in fat or added sugars – and sugary drinks.

Clare Collins, a professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle, says sugar has no nutrients that offer protection from disease. "If people could have some sense that the food you put in your body is the only fuel and nutrients that body can use to feel better, help perform better and protect you from disease, they would look at some of the energy-dense, nutrient-poor, high-fat, high-sugar foods in a different light," Professor Collins says. "You can't help but start to see them as the enemy."

More than one million Australians have type 2 diabetes, fuelled by overeating and a lack of exercise, says Professor Jonathan Shaw, associate director health services at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. He, like Dr Alan Barclay, head of research at the Australian Diabetes Council, says sugar is not solely to blame for the diabetes and obesity epidemics.

Dr Barclay points out that despite the average woman consuming 19 teaspoons of sugar a day, Australians have actually reduced their total intake in recent decades.

David Gillespie, author of The Sweet Poison Quit Plan (Penguin, 2010) puts it simply: sugar is poison. He cites Princeton University research that showed sugar can be as addictive to lab rats as heroin or crack cocaine. Gillespie lost 40kg when he gave sugar the boot, and says while artificial sweeteners are an excellent tool for getting through the withdrawal period, they don't offer a long-term solution.

The good news though is that more people are beating their sugar addiction as they realise the damage it does. Health and consumer groups have successfully pressured food makers to reduce sodium levels in their food and sugar is next on their hit list.

Weaned off - Effie Eftimiou

Effie Eftimiou swapped one addiction for another: at the same time as she quit smoking, she began her love affair with white chocolate Magnum ice-creams – each packed with 1237kJ, 26.7g of sugar and 13.3g of saturated fat. Watching TV on the couch, she'd have at least two, sometimes three. When the ice-cream didn't satisfy her, she'd bake: chocolate brownies, cheesecake, anything that fed her unrelenting sugar craving.

"I couldn't stop at one of anything. I had stopped smoking and stopped working at the same time and this was my comfort food."

As she piled on the kilos she became more and more unhappy. Stick thin all her life, the first step in her "recovery" was to acknowledge she had an addiction. She booked an appointment with Sydney dietician Arlene Normand, who devised a plan to wean her off the sweet stuff. "I didn't have to cut out sugar, I just slowly started substituting things."

She kept a food diary, which was a stark reminder of everything she put in her mouth. Instead of polishing off a tub of ice-cream, Normand had her eating fruit, or a single serve of frozen yoghurt every other day. Sugar in coffee was replaced with artificial sweetener.

"Any addiction, whether smoking, alcohol or sugar, is always there in the background. It took me four months to realise I'd be okay without my two Magnums at night. You have to be in the right frame of mind and you have to make a commitment. I couldn't have done it on my own; I needed that push."

Eftimiou says Normand didn't put her on a "diet" but changed her lifestyle. She now exercises six days a week, walking for an hour most days, and by cutting sugar from her diet has lost the extra weight.

Why it works:

It's a gradual change to your diet.

Withdrawal symptoms from a gradual reduction in sugar are not as severe.

Weekly support and encouragement from a professional.

Cold turkey - Kiely Potter

When Kiely Potter decided to give up sugar, she didn't seek out self-help books, scan the internet for ideas or make an appointment with a dietician. This would be her crusade and she was to go cold turkey.

She combed through her pantry, tossing out the chocolate, lollies and sugar. "I became a lot more aware of what was actually in food and I took a lot of care reading labels," she says.

Potter had been feeling unwell for some time. The 100g blocks of Cadbury dairy milk chocolate, the added sugar on the breakfast cereal and the lollies that always had to be on hand to satisfy sudden cravings had taken their toll. While they delivered a temporary high, they always made her feel worse afterwards.

Her strong family history of diabetes and the fact her father died from the disease was also playing on her mind. "It was a general health thing for me; my health wasn't good, so I took a look at everything." Eliminating sugar was top priority; regular exercise came second.

"Mine was an overnight realisation; it was a quick decision that I made and it was right for me. A lot depends on your personality. For me, it was mind over matter. I'm a disciplined person, so it worked, and it was a quicker process than gradually trying to give up."

It took a few weeks to get over the initial cravings, but Potter says she was lucky not to experience withdrawal symptoms such as headache and mood swings. Weight dropped off the mother-of-three, she felt more energetic, more focused and generally healthier.

Now her snacks of choice are organic almonds, corn thins and popcorn.

Why it works:

Faster results than a gradual withdrawal from sugar.

No temptation: when you're having a little sugar, it's easier to go off the rails.

It's free.

Self-help book - Maree Castenmiller

Maree Castenmiller used to curse when lollies were on special at the supermarket. Instead of buying the usual 200g bag, she'd upsize or stockpile to take advantage of the bargain, then finish an entire bag in one session… every day.

Breakfast was a sugary cereal, Lindt Lindor balls were her weakness, and she thought she was doing herself a favour by buying blocks of dark chocolate. Her pantry was her second home and she believed her late mother – who was a binge eater and plied her children with sweets from a young age – may have been partly to blame for her own woes. "I was forever in the pantry and I felt rotten after I did it. I'd feel really lethargic and unwell," she says.

Diets failed, and her weight yo-yoed. Then she heard David Gillespie, lawyer-turned-author of The Sweet Poison Quit Plan, on the radio talking about how to give up sugar. His book details five key steps: have the right attitude; stop habits associated with sugar (such as watching TV at night); get rid of the sugar you have at home; withdraw from sugar – have one last celebratory supper of your favourite sugary treat; and restock your cupboards.

Castenmiller followed his plan to a tee, except for the final supper ("I'd already done enough damage") and spent a month "detoxifying" her body. "He gave a good argument that once you're no longer addicted to sugar, your normal appetite will return. I thought, 'What have I got to lose?' I felt so bad physically and mentally I thought I'd give it a go."

She cleaned out her fridge and pantry, skipped the confectionary aisle in the supermarket, stopped snacking, changed the way she prepared food, altered her evening habits and ditched foods such as tomato sauce and commercial breakfast cereals, all high in sugar.

Six months on she has shed 11kg just by eliminating sugar. She still enjoys an occasional treat, but chooses savoury rather than sweet snacks. "It doesn't even appeal to me anymore," she says. "If someone put a bag of lollies in front me, I see poison. I have a mantra that 'sugar is poison'. I feel really sad when I see kids having soft drinks, but I'm guilty of peddling sugar in the past."

Why it works

Provides step-by-step plan to kicking the habit.

Reference to fall back on.

You're not depriving yourself of snacks; you can eat fatty potato chips instead of lollies, for example.

Hypnotherapy - Skye Fisher

Starting a new job, Skye Fisher hit the ground running – and never stopped. Working long days in a high-stress position, with no time to stop for lunch, she'd turn to sweets instead. "I had no time for anything else," she says. "When I was running out of energy I'd need a sugar hit, but then I'd just go through highs and lows."

"Without fail I'd buy a bag of snakes and make a significant dent," says Skye. Exhausted after work, she'd rely on takeaway, followed by ice-cream: "I couldn't end on a savoury note."

Skye knew she had a problem when she needed sweets every single day. But the issue wasn't just these vices – it was compounded by all the hidden sugars in Skye's diet. She realised sugar was in her diet yoghurt, her pre-made stir-fry sauces and in all those emergency takeaways. After eight months, she'd put on eight kilos.

Another factor was Skye's all-or-nothing personality. "I've gone on health bursts, then just give up and have no focus." She had no time to exercise with her new job, but she tried to set her mind towards giving up her jellies and ice-cream: "Every day I'd tell myself 'no more sugar tomorrow', but I'd always seem to have an excuse."

Then she read about hypnotherapy. "I'm a sceptic, but I'd heard about a few celebrities using hypnotherapy to change their diet or give up smoking." After four weekly sessions with Sydney hypnotherapist, Mary Lee, Skye says she feels "a lot calmer". "While the focus was my sugar addiction, I think it's addressed how I deal with a raft of things – it's holistic." When it comes to sugar temptations, she now thinks things through. "It's not that it never enters my head. It's absolutely on my radar and I've had it since, but now it's a treat and really infrequent. I can stop at one; it's not a compulsion any more."

Now, she eats more effectively. Enjoying protein for breakfast and lunch, and focusing on a low-GI diet, she doesn't need those sweet snacks. And she's started cooking for herself again.

"My aim is to get back to my normal weight. It's only been a month; I'm not expecting miracles, but somebody said to me that I look great," says Skye.

Comment+Rate

I really enjoyed reading the 'beat you sugar addiction cravings.' Each day is a new day and i am always telling myself that today is the day that i have no sugar in my diet, however come late afternoon and i revert back to my old ways. I like the idea of using a dietician to help cut out the sugar. will look into it.

I gave up sugar 10 weeks ago and have lost 9 kilos. I did not take sugar in tea or coffee but loved ice-cream and if there was chocolate or a delicious cake around would indulge. Also interestingly my blood pressure has gone from bad to good for the 1st time in years!

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